Issue(s): Marvel Team-Up #12
Cover Date: Aug 73
Title: "Wolf at bay"
Credits:
Gerry Conway - Plot
Len Wein - Script
Ross Andru - Penciler
Don Perlin - Inker

Review/plot:
It was a pretty left field choice to have Werewolf By Night in Marvel Team-Up.

He's really from an entirely different genre than Spidey and all of the other characters that have appeared so far. In Werewolf By Night's appearances to date, it wasn't really even clear if he was part of the Marvel Universe at this point, and he's certainly not a hero that Spidey could realistically "team-up" with. So instead the werewolf serves as the main adversary for Spidey...

...along with a wizard named Moondark, whose motives and goals are not clearly explained (something that is acknowledged in a later lettercol).

Moondark's powers are drawn from the mere presence of the Werewolf, according to what Jack Russell told Spidey during a brief transformation to his human form.

Moondark is kicked into the "Mists of Passage" and disappears in the rather anti-climactic fight at the end of the book.

What's also really interesting about this issue is the fact that it takes place soon after the death of Gwen Stacy, and it really does make an effort to acknowledge what's been going on in the other Spidey book. The story takes place in San Francisco and the reason he's out west is because Peter convinced JJ to send him out of the city to help get his mind off of Gwen. Joe Robertson helped by suggesting that the Bugle could use some pictures of Daredevil and the Black Widow, so Spider-Man will next appear in DD's title.

It's worth realizing that this Team-Up book could have just been a simple lighthearted team-up book that didn't acknowledge anything from other titles; it's sort of difficult to imagine since Marvel did such a good job of going in the other direction, but it was a real danger, and i think the book is stronger for it.

That's not to say that the actual story in this issue isn't anything but a crazy mess, but it's long been my contention that the best aspect of Marvel isn't the strength of the individual stories; it's the continuity and inter-connectivity between all the titles. A sum greater than its parts, to coin a phrase.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - first Moondark

Chronological Placement Considerations: Takes place after Amazing Spider-Man #123. Spidey next appears in Daredevil #103, then Team-Up #13, before returning to Amazing in issue #124. The MCP have Jack Russell and his supporting cast here after Werewolf By Night #8.

References:

• Gwen Stacy died in Amazing Spider-Man #121-122 and then Spidey was attacked by Luke Cage in Amazing Spider-Man #123 prior to this issue.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Essential Marvel Team-Up vol. 1

Not sure what your source is for the art credits on this issue. I don't have an original, but the reprint in MARVEL TREASURY EDITION #18 lists Ross Andru (just two months before beginning his five-year reign on AMAZING) and Don Perlin (soon to begin his long association with WEREWOLF BY NIGHT as penciler and/or inker). Can't swear to the inks, but the pencils are unmistakably Andru's.

Looks like i just transposed with #13. Thanks, Matthew.

Moondark is very loosely based on Mandrake the Magician.

It was kinda dumb of marvel to schedule this team up right around the time of the man-wolf arc in ASM. Makes werewolves look way too common in spidey's life.

@Fnord- Shouldn't Jack Russell/Werewolf by Night's appearance here, the first outside the character's own story arcs and integrating him into the Marvel Universe proper, be reflected in the Historic Significance rating, alongside Moondark's debut? I bring this up because I noted in your review of MTU #24, you did note that for Brother Voodoo.

It would have been easy for this book to take the direction like DC's team-up books THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD and DC COMICS PRESENTS doing stand-alone, continuity-be-damned stories. However, this book and "Two-In-One" integrating fully in the Marvel Universe set themselves apart from the "Hey, let's so-and-so together!" approach.

Actually, it's probably more that i shouldn't have done that for Brother Voodoo, and i've reversed it there. I get what i was going for - these appearances confirm that these horror characters are part of the MU and not just standalone - but there's really nothing "significant" about these issues and i haven't been consistent about doing that with regard to other such characters.